Veteran US Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings, who was
heavily involved with the Trump impeachment inquiry, has died at the age of 68.
His office said he
had died as a result of "longstanding health challenges". As chairman
of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, he had instigated several
investigations into the Trump administration.
He also clashed with
administration officials over healthcare and immigration. Earlier this year,
during a hearing about migrant detention, Mr Cummings blasted acting Homeland Security
Secretary Kevin McAleenan, asking him if the department had an "empathy
deficit".
"He worked until
his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best
expression of our collective humanity," Maya Cummings, Maryland's
Democratic Party chairwoman, said in a statement.
Late Cummings worked as a Maryland state delegate and lawyer
before his election to the House of Representatives in 1996. A Baltimore
native, he was one of seven children born to parents who were farm workers on
the same land where their ancestors were enslaved.
He had served as
chairman of the Oversight Committee since January after Democrats took control
of the House. During his tenure, he engaged in a lengthy court battle with the
Trump administration over subpoenas of the president's personal and financial
records.
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